Protests Shut Down McDonald’s Headquarters

For the second day straight, protestors have gathered outside McDonald’s headquarters rallying against the companies unwillingness to raise wages nationwide. The protests come as part of “the fight for $15,” initiative which has taken hold on several industries throughout the United States over the last several years.

The protests began Wednesday April 25th, the day after McDonald’s hinted they would launch a “robot revolution” and automate their work force, rather than hire people at an inflated wage. The company made it clear that buying a robot for a one time fee of $35,000 is far cheaper than paying an employee $15 year – year after year. On Tuesday, former McDonald’s CEO Ed Rensi stated that a minimum wage increase to $15 an hour would result in “job loss like you can’t believe”  adding that “it’s cheaper to buy a $35,000 robotic arm than it is to hire an employee who’s inefficient making $15 an hour bagging French fries.”

This is the third year in a row that protestors have met in front of McDonald’s HQ – directly ahead of the yearly shareholders meetings. In 2014, only 140 people showed up, but in 2015 the protests exploded to well over 1,000. Expecting another large turnout, ahead of today’s protests, Oak Brook police summoned 300 officers to oversee the protest and keep things civil. According to reports, the police were expecting as many as 8,000 people. However, around 200 protestors camped outside the HQ facility overnight and about 1,000 others marched down the streets – forcing the building to close down for several hours.

McDonald’s argues that unlike many of their competitors, the company already offers higher wages and more incentives than many other corporations. In fact, in Texas, there is actually a shortage of workers in the nursing industry because so many workers have  left this field to work at McDonald’s. Yes, you read that right.

You see, in Texas for example, McDonald’s pays a standard wage of $13-14 dollars for every position. Though this figure is lower than what the typical nurse makes, it is higher then many other professions in the area. Furthermore, the workload expected of a McDonald’s employee is trivial compared to the demands of the nursing industry. As a result, many people have left the nursing field, choosing to make a little less for a much easier job. This, of course, is the underlying problem with this whole minimum wage/fight for $15 issue. How much can you really pay someone to do the most mundane of jobs – is $15 standard pay for every position in the U.S. even reasonable?

McDonald’s already pays their employees more than the industry average, even in Chicago, were the protest occur they pay $1 over the federal minimum wage. This is why many industry insiders call the “fight for $15” initiative unreasonable. McDonald’s contends they will refuse to comply with a $15 minimum wage and if politicians force this on society, they will fire tens of thousands and hire robots. It is that simple.

As previously reported, this is exactly what other fast food companies such as Wendy’s are already doing. Last week, Wendy’s announced that in response to wage increase demands, the company will be replacing the cashiers at all 6,000 locations in favor of autonomous ordering systems.

Sources: Reuters, Ars Technica, Russia Today, Libertarian Republic

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